Living in the Kingdom
The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you
Luke 17:21
The kingdom of God is within you, or in your midst depending on the translation, implies that the kingdom is the nearness of Christ through the Holy Spirit. How close can our soul be to the Lord? Jewish history tells us that Christians during the reign of Nero, were praising God as they went to their death, and the Apostle Paul said he learned to be content in any and all circumstances. How close were these people to the Lord? How close can we be to the Lord without the need to suffer?
The closer we are to the Lord the more we experience the fruit of the Spirit. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) The more our thoughts are focused on God, the more we experience the fruit of the Spirit. Can we get closer to the Lord through meditation, deep focus on the Lord, seeking him with all our heart? We can get as close to the Lord as our heart desires, but it requires that we are obedient to his will serving him through faith with a heart of love.
If we really desire to be closer to the Lord then we are highly motivated to serve the Lord. The following steps will describe what we do in serving the Lord that will bring us closer to him.
- Trust the Lord no matter what happens in life. Trust his divine guidance and strive to follow the Holy Spirit.
- Give control to the Lord, knowing his perfect love and his ways are always best.
- Give the Lord priority by following the Holy Spirit, making Godly choices.
- Learn to depend on the Lord for everything; for your life and for every circumstance in life.
- Develop a thankful praising heart to the Lord no matter what the situation.
- Aggressively seek opportunities to help others and showing Christ to them. Ministering to lost souls brings us closer to the Lord.
- Constantly talk to the Lord during your day and pray often.
- Fellowship with other Christians, encouraging and helping them.
- Schedule quiet time with the Lord, just you and the Lord, and learn to seek the Lord and commune with him during this time. Unload your thoughts and emotions to him. During this time meditate on God and his word, because the more we practice meditation the more we leave this world and enter his kingdom.
Today make an effort to incorporate the above steps into your life. If you are not doing all these steps, then add the missing steps to your daily routine. Place priority on getting closer to the Lord, and quiet time is a great time to meditate and focus on the Lord. Quiet time is a time to relax after your busy day, escape the world and enjoy alone time with the Lord. This is how the apostle Paul escaped the world and his soul entered the kingdom; he was often alone in a damp dark prison which enabled him to maintain his focus on the Lord.
Prayer: Lord, guide me closer to you, that I may experience the closeness of your love, peace, and joy. Guide me to be Christ-like and to seek quiet time that I can be still and know you are God. In Jesus name, Amen